(06 May 2020, 2:29 pm)James101 wrote Yes this is a down side but we are only talking about 5 bus stops over about a mile distance that still retain a high frequency to the nearest town centre. We're only talking about a reduction in service for passengers specifically wishing to travel to Middlesbrough. All stops still have a good service through to Stockton. Whilst I can see there's a demand for a turn up & go between Norton & Stockton and then Stockton & Middlesbrough I really don't believe a 6/7 min frequency for specifically Norton - Middlesbrough.

I understand your point re Redhill Road shops but I don't understand the logic behind claiming Arriva would be more popular as they offer connections to Middlesbrough in Stockton whilst also arguing the people of Norton desperately need all of their direct buses to Middlesbrough and wouldn't want to change in Stockton? I'm also not sure the frequency claims on the Stockton - Boro corridor would hold water as I don't think people would put the X12 in the fast bus category since the Teesside Park diversion. Every 10 minutes from the same bus stand in Middlesbrough Bus Station & Stockton (X66/7 & X22 are split across 2 stands) sells better. 

Edit: is the current 37 through Redhill shops a genuine competitor to Arriva through to Stockton? It's journey times through Norton make it an impractical choice vs the 15. The proposed change at least makes the 37 a reasonable alternative to Arriva as a fast bus down Durham Rd whilst keeping the links to Norton and new links through to Billingham and Hartlepool.

I'm of the opinion that Stagecoach's operation in Hartlepool should be more integrated with Teesside. All of the reasons you've listed for not integrating the 36/7 into the town services are oriented around the business and not the customer. This is the attitude that has led to the stale and decline in the bus industry. Even so, the extension to Clavering seems no more complex than when they were extended to Park End on the other end. With Stagecoach having an office and break facilities in Hartlepool Market place drivers shifts ands breaks shouldn't be too much of an issue. The network in the south of Hartlepool could be more efficient if the 36 was integrated into the town services rather than overlapping them. Should this lead to PVR reductions then yes, I do think Hartlepool should be downgraded to an outstation of Stockton - if this makes the operation more sustainable in the long term. Hartlepool and Stockton driver duties could be pooled with breaks at any rest point on the network (depots, bus stations or high streets) as long as start and end points were in the driver's 'home' town. 


This is the problem with a lot of NHS hospital shuttles. They tend to run directly between hospitals which is next to useless as very few staff or patients need to travel between hospitals during the same shift or appointment. If the point of the service is to provide access to jobs and services that have been transferred to another hospital, the service needs to pick up through the catchment area of the original hospital. 

Do the CCAD (or whatever they're called now) still run student buses from Teesside into Hartlepool? This could be something for them do do during the day?